All-purpose news and politics thread: Two Steps Beyond!(Part II)

[jetengine]

Bernie Sanders has emerged as the Donald Trump of the left

Unless Sanders can somehow create multiple "high-ratings earning" controversial scandals that he can also somehow walk away from with no problem --despite their career ruining standing-- to use as near 24/7 advertising I highly doubt he can use the "Same formula" as Trump.

[Tami]

Unless Sanders can somehow create multiple "high-ratings earning" controversial scandals that he can also somehow walk away from with no problem --despite their career ruining standing-- to use as near 24/7 advertising I highly doubt he can use the "Same formula" as Trump.

The Left might need a slightly different formula, but in the end it works out the same. Just glad that I'm not the only one who sees the resemblance between Sanders and Trump.

[mathew101281]

The Left might need a slightly different formula, but in the end it works out the same. Just glad that I'm not the only one who sees the resemblance between Sanders and Trump.

This was what I was dreading. Having a large candidate pool usually makes you wind up with the most extreme candidate. The fringe is going to vote for their guy regardless, and the vast number of other candidates are going to split the more mainstream vote muting its power enough to allow the fringe candidate to win. Fringe candidates can’t govern this country efficiently. Are country is to evenly divided (right/left) for extreme right or left candidates to be effective. We are seeing this with Trump. He’s been in power going on almost three years now and what has he really accomplished? Bernie would be no different. Are most effective presidents have been the ones that were able to work across party lines if need be. Going to the fringes can never be the answer in a divided nation.

[4saken1]

I think it's safe to say he puts more effort in finding Republicans for the list, and that there are plenty of Democrats he could've picked but didn't.

Sure!........and yet, not a single conservative on this message board has even made an attempt to disprove the point he's trying to make. I'd bet if someone was to start now, significant leeway would be made due to the fact that he's had such a large head start!

No question. And most Democratic Senators would have a different tune from what they argued in 2016 as well.

The only thing Democrats would be asking is why does McConnell have different standards with a Republican President?

[Tendrin]

This was what I was dreading. Having a large candidate pool usually makes you wind up with the most extreme candidate. The fringe is going to vote for their guy regardless, and the vast number of other candidates are going to split the more mainstream vote muting its power enough to allow the fringe candidate to win. Fringe candidates can’t govern this country efficiently. Are country is to evenly divided (right/left) for extreme right or left candidates to be effective. We are seeing this with Trump. He’s been in power going on almost three years now and what has he really accomplished? Bernie would be no different. Are most effective presidents have been the ones that were able to work across party lines if need be. Going to the fringes can never be the answer in a divided nation.

Yeah, I've said before I expect Bernie to try to emulate the Trump strategy. All the candidates running is helpful to him due to his militant support.

[KNIGHT OF THE LAKE]

This was what I was dreading. Having a large candidate pool usually makes you wind up with the most extreme candidate. The fringe is going to vote for their guy regardless, and the vast number of other candidates are going to split the more mainstream vote muting its power enough to allow the fringe candidate to win. Fringe candidates can’t govern this country efficiently. Are country is to evenly divided (right/left) for extreme right or left candidates to be effective. We are seeing this with Trump. He’s been in power going on almost three years now and what has he really accomplished? Bernie would be no different. Are most effective presidents have been the ones that were able to work across party lines if need be. Going to the fringes can never be the answer in a divided nation.

When people call him fringe I wonder if they realize he consistently polls as one of the the most popular politicians in the country and all of his core policies are some of the mist supported policies by American citizens.

I think people honestly think that because there is a left and right that the center is automatically where the country is at. It’s really not. Anerica’s government skews right. Bernie is mostly a moderate based off nearly any contemporary country.

[Kirby101]

In this country, Trump's Alt-Right conspiracy driven idiocy is considered mainstream by the media. But those things on the left, including what Bernie wants, supported by 75% to 90% of Americans are fringe.

[Tuck]

This was what I was dreading. Having a large candidate pool usually makes you wind up with the most extreme candidate. The fringe is going to vote for their guy regardless, and the vast number of other candidates are going to split the more mainstream vote muting its power enough to allow the fringe candidate to win. Fringe candidates can’t govern this country efficiently. Are country is to evenly divided (right/left) for extreme right or left candidates to be effective. We are seeing this with Trump. He’s been in power going on almost three years now and what has he really accomplished? Bernie would be no different. Are most effective presidents have been the ones that were able to work across party lines if need be. Going to the fringes can never be the answer in a divided nation.

While it's true that Bernie would probably not be very effective as president, calling him fringe is capitulating to this glacial slouch rightward the country's been going through since the 70s. Bernie's platform is a pretty standard pre-Contract-with-America Democratic platform.

[jetengine]

Are most effective presidents have been the ones that were able to work across party lines if need be. Going to the fringes can never be the answer in a divided nation.

Impossible now. Obama caused the GOP to go insane. Trump just made the madness stick. No GOP member realistically wants to aid the Democrats.

[KNIGHT OF THE LAKE]

Impossible now. Obama caused the GOP to go insane. Trump just made the madness stick. No GOP member realistically wants to aid the Democrats.

The only type of Democrat capable of working across the aisle is a Joe Lieberman type, which at that point, why even have the party. Just vote Republican and go along with whatever they want

[Gray Lensman]

Impossible now. Obama caused the GOP to go insane. Trump just made the madness stick. No GOP member realistically wants to aid the Democrats.

The current Republican idea of compromise is the Democrats giving them everything the right wants in exchange for nothing the left wants. Anything else is seen as complete capitulation.

[Tendrin]

No big deal. Just the chairman of the North Carolina GOP arrested on bribery charges.

A federal grand jury indicted the chairman of the North Carolina Republican Party and three others on bribery charges Tuesday, law enforcement officials announced.

Robin Hayes, the state GOP chair, and Greg Lindberg, a businessman and wealthy donor, are accused, along with two others, of engaging in a scheme to bribe North Carolina state Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey. Causey has not been charged.

It is actually even bigger than that:

https://www.google.com/amp/s/splinte...1833755409/amp

Unfortunately for the would-be corporate hustlers, Causey rang up the FBI at least as early as August 2018 and recorded their future conversations. This is where things went from bad to worse for North Carolina Republicans.

As pointed out by Politico, three-term U.S. Rep. Mark Walker was quickly identified from the unsealed indictments as “Public Official A.” According to texts and emails released by the Justice Department, Walker was the recipient of $150,000 in political donations from Lindberg around the same time that one of Lindberg’s consultants asked him in a February 2018 email to lean on Causey to replace his deputy.

[worstblogever]

The only type of Democrat capable of working across the aisle is a Joe Lieberman type, which at that point, why even have the party. Just vote Republican and go along with whatever they want

The current Republican idea of compromise is the Democrats giving them everything the right wants in exchange for nothing the left wants. Anything else is seen as complete capitulation.

A reminder... Mitch McConnell and John Boehner met on the eve of the inauguration in 2009 to announce the GOP would in no way be doing anything to work with Obama or Democrats. Hell, McConnell didn't want the public to know Russia was helping Trump get elected in 2016.

McConnell has broken all political norms of the Senate, and remains in power as he has for 30+ years. Voters shouldn't be pulling for only Trump to be bounced from office in 2020.

[Malvolio]

A reminder... Mitch McConnell and John Boehner met on the eve of the inauguration in 2009 to announce the GOP would in no way be doing anything to work with Obama or Democrats. Hell, McConnell didn't want the public to know Russia was helping Trump get elected in 2016.

McConnell has broken all political norms of the Senate, and remains in power as he has for 30+ years. Voters shouldn't be pulling for only Trump to be bounced from office in 2020.

Unfortunately, only voters in Kentucky can vote for or against McConnell. There's a reason he's never run for President or VP.

[Mecegirl]

Unfortunately, only voters in Kentucky can vote for or against McConnell. There's a reason he's never run for President or VP.

In a round about way they can, if the senate goes blue then he will become the minority leader and lose a lot of power.